Proofreading and Polish

Proofreading

Proofreading, by its very definition, is a process that occurs after a manuscript has been edited and the layout of the book has been finalized and approved by both author and publisher. Once the first “proof” is generated, it is the proofreader’s job to ensure that material is clear and consistent, complete and credible, and that text is well written, grammatically correct and accessible.

Proofreading is one of the most important jobs in the publishing process, and proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default, because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication. The proofreader is the last set of eyes to go over a book before it goes to print.

In the ongoing transformation of the publishing industry, while the importance and necessity of proofreading in the process has not changed, the transit of proofs are often digital and proofreading work is done in Microsoft Word as a document that includes tracking. Decades ago, proofreaders went line by line through a physical, paper manuscript (the galley), applying corrections and marks, and the proofread galley would go back to the typesetter so that a final galley could be produced.

Proofreading is more style than substance. Unlike the copy editor, who considers missing/extra or misused words, bad writing habits, dialogue, characters, inconsistencies and issues related to the story, the proofreader, is more concerned with errors that interfere with overall readability. Proofreading occurs after all editing is complete and the book is nearly ready to be published.

Notwithstanding, proofreading is comprehensive, in that a professional proofreader (who may be an editor) carefully examines the entire digital galley, and rather than merely marking typos (errors) and making suggestions, the proofreader corrects the galley for grammar, spelling, punctuation, spacing and gross errors, and the corrections and comments are displayed in the document, using the Microsoft Word “Review” tab under “Final: Show Markup” dropdown window. Proofreading is recommended for all serious authors who have received galleys for soon-to-be-published fiction, non-fiction, academic and juvenile books.

Naturally, the cost for Proofreading is dependent on the length of the galley. Our price for Proofreading is $0.011 per word, which is about 30% less than the amount that most proofreaders typically charge. You can determine the price for proofreading your manuscript by multiplying the total word count of your manuscript by .011. On the calculator below, you can do the math.

At Rumpelstilskin Editorial Services, we give special attention and may apply additional discounts to authors and publishers who are our partners. Because we are a small editorial department, our typical turnaround time for proofreading an 80,000 word manuscript is four days. Payment terms are 50% up-front and 50% upon delivery.

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Galley Length

Final Galley Polish

Final Galley Polish relates to the final touches that an experienced proofreader applies to the book. At Rumpelstilskin Editorial Services, polishing has all to do with the overall cosmetic look of the book. The polisher considers long sentences, long paragraphs, font selection and size, graphic embellishments, italics, quotation marks, dashes, semicolons, headings, references, chapter beginnings, dropcaps and all other issues related to the book’s final look. Specific polishing requests by authors should be submitted 72 hours before polishing work begins.

Our price for Final Galley Polish is $75 total, which pays an experienced proofreader for one hour of polishing for books of any size (about 30% less than the amount that most polishers typically charge).

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One thought on “Proofreading and Polish”

I have been asked by Caprice de Luca of Pegasus Books to contact you with a request to proofread the book I have submitted for publication “Harriet The Pig Thought She Was A Dog” at a cost of £46.41 UK sterling . Kindly forward me an invoice for this and advise how payment should be made
Thank you
Mrs Pamela Towill .
Please use this name for the transaction.